Blog Entries tagged 'food'

A Mouthful of Scripture

linda@dailydevotions.com.au — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Linda Bailey is currently away. Her new devotionals will begin again on the 1st February, 2010. In the meantime, here is a Daily Devotion that has been significant for one of my readers..

Each verse in Proverbs is like a mouthful of my mother's roast.

Proverbs 18:1-24

Reference: v.15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out. (NIV Bible)

Explore: My husband always laughs at me when I eat a roast dinner prepared by my mother. She always includes so many wonderful flavours and all my favourite vegetables. Therefore, each mouthful is like a tasty work of art. I have to be discerning and craft together the right mixture of flavours on the one forkful so that my tastebuds have a party with every single bite! When it comes to my mother's roasts and my mouthful-combinations, every forkful of food is a winner.

Application: Each verse in Proverbs is like a mouthful of my mother's roast. Each individual verse holds so much wisdom and a Godly way of looking at things. It's actually quite challenging to read a whole chapter at a time as each one is filled with 20-30 morsels of importance. It's like trying to eat a whole plateful in one bite. This is a book that you don't read once and then move on. It seems like it will be a book that makes more sense as you live life and as you process each verse individually. While reading chapter 18 means that I am half way through the book of Proverbs I can see that it will take a life time to glean even a tenth of the wisdom presented within.

Prayer: Lord, Your word truly is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. May we engage with it as we live life so that we can discern how you would have us live. Amen.

What passage have you read a number of times and received something different from it depending on your life situation?

Milk To Solids

linda@dailydevotions.com.au — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

With all the mashed up fruit and vegetables that he is trying, his parents don't know if he is going to love the food or projectile vomit it right back in their faces!

1 Corinthians 3:1-22

Reference: v.2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. (NIV Bible)

Explore: I was chatting to one of my friends who has a 10 month old child. He is just starting to eat solids. It sounds like quite an interesting experience as a family. With all the mashed up fruit and vegetables that he is trying, his parents don't know if he is going to love the food or projectile vomit it right back in their faces! When moving from milk to solids there is a great deal of trial and error. However, when I think of the wonder of bread, chocolate, roast pork and pasta I realise that the effort to move from milk to solids is definitely worth it.

Application: There are many transitions that we all go through in our life time. It may start off with going from milk to solids but it doesn't stop there. There are transitions with study, work, family, homes... just to name a few. But we also have spiritual transitions too. I'm chatting to a few people at the moment about baptism. That is a wonderful transition where these people are moving from exploring God to committing fully to God. Each transition takes time and exploration and sometimes this can be challenging. But the reward at the end is well worth the change.

Prayer: Lord, each transition brings an element of the unknown. May we have the strength and the faith to step out, even if we don't know the final result. Amen.

What transitions are you going through at the moment? What transitions need to occur in your life?

Godly Food

linda@dailydevotions.com.au — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

As a Christian living in Australia I do not abide by these food laws as an expression of my faith.

Deuteronomy 14:1-29

Reference: v.7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. (NIV Bible)

Explore: I have never been that partial to eating rabbit. I remember one time I came home for the weekend from boarding school. In true bulk cooking style, the food we got at school was never really that amazing. So Mum would always make sure we had good food when we came home for the weekend or holidays. This one particular time I had come home late on the train and Mum had kept some chicken casserole for me to eat. As I started eating my meal Mum looked at me with a sly smile and asked, "Do you like it?" I looked down at my plate, back at my mother's face and said, "It's rabbit, isn't it?!" She had tried to disguise the rabbit as chicken in a delicious casserole but her face had given her away. I wish I had have known verse 7 of Deuteronomy 14 back then. Although I wouldn't have wanted Mum to know the next verse or that would mean no roast pork either!

Explore: The Israelites were given very specific guidelines as to what and how they should eat their meat. As a Christian living in Australia I do not abide by these food laws as an expression of my faith. I govern what goes in to my mouth by what I think tastes good rather than what has been instructed to me. And yet, I think this has made us complacent about what we consume. Whether it is food or media or information, whatever we take in has an affect on us. If we want to live a life that is set apart for God then we need to set apart every aspect of our lives for God - our meal times, our work times and our social times. It's not just about what food we are eating but whether we are honouring God in all aspects of our life.

Prayer: Lord, we can often get complacent about what we eat, what we watch and what we say. Help us to honour You in all aspects of our life. Amen.

Is there an aspect in your life that needs some focus so that it becomes more honouring to God?

Memorable Meals

linda@dailydevotions.com.au — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0100

With my parents gifts of hospitality and generosity, it always makes for a memorable meal.

Proverbs 23:1-35

Reference: v.3 Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. (NIV Bible)

Explore: Our family never do meals by halves. When it is time to celebrate there is no expense spared for great food and enjoyable wine. If my mother knows someone enjoys something, she will have it prepped and ready for intake. With my parents gifts of hospitality and generosity, it always makes for a memorable meal. However, if you were to drop by unexpected at a meal time you would see my parents consuming a simple meal of chops and vegetables. While the food is different their attitude is not. They would still invite you to stay and Mum would just pop another couple of potatoes in the pot to help the meal go around. While the food is fantastic during times of celebration I can now see that my parents attitudes of hospitality and generosity can make any meal special.

Application: So often we can fixate on what we can see and taste rather than the attitude behind the meal. Someone can try to impress you by the type of restaurant they take you to, however their true intentions will always come out in the end. We must not just look at the meal but the emotions behind the gift. The meal may be divine and yet their intentions may be to deceive. Whereas another meal may be very basic but the intention is to share life. Don't just look at the tangible but the intention behind each gift. Then you will see the real person behind the food.

Prayer: Lord, may we share meals with others with an attitude of love and thanksgiving. Amen.

Who do you know is a generous giver? How do you see through the gift and look to the intention?

Meal Of Love

linda@dailydevotions.com.au — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

In the middle of the table was a large  pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.

Proverbs 15:1-33

Reference: v.17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love, than a fattened calf with hatred. (NIV Bible)

Explore: "A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.'  The Lord led the holy man to two doors.    He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large  pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.    The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.   The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.   The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.'    They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of  stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, 'I don't understand.'  ' It is simple,' said the Lord. 'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'"

Application: Where do we position ourselves? Are we part of a life that helps to build up others, feed them and nourish them, or are we only striving to fill our own bellies? It's clear to see which one God desires.

Prayer: Lord, you give each of us so much but you leave it up to us to decide whether we will share and support others. May we live according to You will. Amen.

What can you do today that extends your spoon to others?

You Are What You Eat

linda@dailydevotions.com.au — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

I'm not 100% sure if Australia is the most obese country in the world but I know we're pretty close to the top.

Mark 7:1-37

Reference: v.18&20 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can make them 'unclean'?"... He went on: "What comes out of a person is what makes them 'unclean'. (NIV Bible)

Explore: Today's world is very fixated on food. Two-thirds of the world doesn't have enough and one-third has too much. As I sit at my computer, earning more that $1 a day in my house filled with clothes, furniture and electrical items it is clear that I am positioned in the 'one-third' category. I'm not 100% sure if Australia is the most obese country in the world but I know we're pretty close to the top. And yet our media and fashion continue to promote those who are waver thin. Every magazine highlights a new diet or exercise regime and in our newly re-developed suburb we've had three gyms go up in the last 12 months.

Application: Food is essential and I must admit that I don't handle the 'moderation' as well as I should. But ultimately food's purpose is to give us energy. I think, rather than focus on the energy source, we need to start concentrating more on how we are using our energy. Do we use our energy to build people up or tear them down? When Jesus was confronted about his disregard for the food laws He too emphasised what came out from a person rather than what they ate. For our physical health and well-being we must take note of what we eat. However, for our spiritual health and well-being we must take note of what we do.

Prayer: Lord, we thank You for each meal that You bless us with. We pray that we may use whatever energy we have today to build Your kingdom. Amen.

What is healthier, your diet or your actions? Which area needs some exercise?

Food, Glorious Food

linda@dailydevotions.com.au — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100

A 'food family' sees food as more than just something you need to consume to fulfil your daily nutrients count.

1 Kings 2.1-12

Reference: v.7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.” (NIV Bible)

Explore: I come from a 'food family'. For those who don’t come from a 'food family', let me explain. A 'food family' sees food as more than just something you need to consume to fulfil your daily nutrients count. Food is something that gives great pleasure, it is something that gets you through the day, it is a pivotal element in celebrations and it is the special reward given to those deserving. When catering, my family works on the basis that there is only enough food when you can feed the whole nation of Malawi! Needless to say my Mum is an awesome cook and we are all constantly on diets.
It’s makes sense to me that food even referred to in the Bible as a powerful expression of acceptance and friendship. When King David was on his death-bed he told his son Solomon, who was to take over his throne, to show kindness by ‘letting them be among those who eat at your table.’

Application: Unfortunately today there is not enough emphasis on families to eat meals together around a table… without the TV on! We are considered ‘old fashioned’ when we enforce this ritual every evening. I must say that we do not always have riveting conversation, there is not always a new revelation discovered about a family member and sometimes the food I have made is so amazing that no one speaks out of reverence to my sensational culinary delights (ok, so this may only have happened once!). Life will continue to get busy and we will always be pushed to do more and be more. However we must remember to stop every now and again and just ‘be’ with those near and dear to us. We don’t have to cook up a 5-course dinner party, it’s just allowing a connection to happen between friends and family.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for creating food. It gives so much pleasure and is a great tool in which we can unite people together. May I continually be prompted to open my table to those around me. Amen.

What restricts you from spending regular time with friends and family?